Art movements: a series of modest yet thoughtful moves will allow this existing art museum in Portland to expand and develop

Architectural Review, The, Nov, 2002 by Brian Carter

Since its founding in 1892 the Portland Art Museum has been an influential force in the community. Under the direction of Henrietta Failing, its first curator and a radical social reformer, and through subsequent programmes of educational activities and public lectures, the institution has long been regarded as more than merely a repository for art. In 1930, the museum abandoned a Georgian-style building to commission a new building on a site close to the city centre. This museum, designed by Pietro Belluschi, was described as a new institution with modern requirements and a definitely alive function'. Its opening in 1932, not only marked Belluschi's emergence as one of America's significant architects but also created a significant focus in the general cultural life of Portland.

Following the addition of two wings of galleries in 1938 and a Museum Art School in 1969, there were few major changes until John Buchanan arrived as the new director in 1994. Finding space limited and facilities in need of improvement he worked with architect Ann Beha to develop a programme of incremental improvements. It was an approach that contrasted with the development of many other museums in America where emphasis was often placed on the commissioning of large and frequently assertive new buildings that sought to radically transform the public perception of those institutions at a stroke.

In Portland, when the Art School moved to another location in 1997, studios and classrooms were transformed into galleries. Using the geometry of the side-lit art school studios, a series of new contemporary galleries was created and, in order to make a new space for special exhibitions, an existing auditorium was changed into two floors of open galleries. This work respected Belluschi's design for the original building yet also introduced change.

To replace the auditorium that was lost, the architects looked beyond the footprint of the museum. A new Education Centre, with classrooms, two galleries and an auditorium was created below ground in a sliver of existing space between the original museum and a former Masonic Temple that the museum had acquired when it became empty. The roof of this Centre created a new ground that opened up not only to these two buildings on either side but also to one of the city's many landscaped streets and avenues.

By shaping this ground, and working with the landscape architect Topher Delaney, a new sculpture terrace was formed. A museum shop and a cafe, planned within the original museum, open discreetly onto this terrace. Open-air exhibition areas, screened by a series of glass walls and sliding stainless-steel frames, have made it possible to bring art out of the museum and place it, quite literally, in the street. This system of sliding glass walls enables the terraces to be closed and made secure in the evenings while still allowing the art to remain clearly on view after the museum has closed. To reinforce this idea, stone paving and a series of plinths, platforms and benches, which create settings for sculpture and places to sit during the day, are also lit during the evenings. These design initiatives effectively project both the museum and its collection into the life of the city.

As a part of the museum's next phase of development and expansion, Ann Beha has recently been commissioned to design additional galleries and offices within the former Masonic Temple. In a scheme that seeks to transform this closed and previously secretive building into a light and more open box, the scheme cuts a full-height glazed bay through the building where it meets the sculpture terrace. At the same time, access to these new reclaimed spaces will be from the original building using an underground link that also connects to the new education centre -- a plan that provides for effective control and security while underlining the significance of Belluschi's original building.

The development of this ambitious plan has enabled the Portland Art Museum to grow quickly through a series of small but thoughtful moves. Those moves have enabled the modest spaces of the institution to grow into an expansive series of galleries for travelling exhibitions and a growing permanent collection, to extend its educational role and to place art in the public domain in ways which clearly recall the inspiration of its founders.

Architect

Ann Beha Architects, Boston

Project team

Ann Beha, Peter Sugar. Thomas Hotaling, Richard Panciera, Christopher Raber, John Paul Dunn

Associate Architects

SRG Architects (Phase I)

SERA Architects (Phase II)

Structural engineer

KPFF Consulting Engineers

Landscape architect

Delaney, Cochran & Castillo

Photographs

All photographs and digital studies by courtesy of the architect